tonight hurricane christie, outrage over the deal congress didn't vote for. >> new jerseyans and new yorkers are tired of being treated like second-class citizens. shame on you. shame on congress. >> top new york democrat christine quinn tells me what she wants now from the speaker, john boehner. plus, a family still struggling after sandy. >> my politicians are going to hear from me and from my community. >> hillary clinton out of the hospital, but that hasn't stopped the conspiracy theories. why some on the right claim the secretary's illness is not what it seems. >> people who go out and generate rumors and lies are stupid. >> and a star is born. well, in about six months. the unending fascination with kimye. this is "piers morgan tonight." good evening. i'm wolf blitzer, in for piers morgan.

it isn't often that you hear a politician, a governor no less, on the job react with the kind of anger we heard from chris christie today. he's a man who famously says what he thinks. and what he thinks about john boehner's failure to vote on superstorm sandy aid, well, listen for yourself. >> i was given no explanation. i was called at 11:20 last night by leader cantor and told that authority for the vote was pulled by the speaker. and our delegation asked for a meeting with the speaker at that time. they were refused. i called the speaker four times last night after 11:20, and he did not take my calls. >> governor christie isn't the only one fuming about the sandy fumble. joining us now exclusively, christine quinn. she's the speaker of the new york city council. when you heard about that, what went through your mind immediately, speaker? >> i was stunned. i mean, it's really unbelievable how speaker boehner and his party could just walk away from

all the new yorkers and people in new jersey and people in connecticut in need. i don't really know how you just abdicate your responsibility like that. i mean, we have countless people in new york and new jersey who have been devastated by this storm, and quite frankly, as speaker boehner told them to just drop dead. and it's just outrageous. and to promise us now a vote weeks from now, why should we believe him at all? it's just shocking. >> it's been a pretty contentious 24 hours, if you will. we're talking about $60 billion at stake. listen to governor christie, this is around 2:00 p.m. today. >> mm-hmm. >> national disasters happen in red states and blue states, in states with democratic governors and republican governors. we respond to innocent victims of natural disasters, not as republicans or democrats, but as americans. or at least we did.

until last night. >> but at 3:30 p.m. or so, after about a 20-minute meeting with the speaker john boehner and the majority leader eric cantor, congressman peter king of new york met with reporters, listen to this, speaker, and he said this. >> bottom line is that between friday morning and january 15th those two votes will bring in $60 billion that's absolutely necessary for new york, new jersey, and connecticut. so as far as i'm concerned, i think i can speak for all the members of the new york and new jersey delegations, it was an extremely positive meeting. >> extremely positive meeting. are you satisfied with the assurances that congressman king got? >> you know, look, i have a lot of respect for congressman king. but i'm not going to be satisfied until it's done. really? speaker boehner as i understand it gave lots of republicans, members of congress, other leaders in this situation assurances that this would happen before this congress

left. it didn't. now, it is certainly more positive that they said they are going to vote than saying nothing at all. but what message has speaker boehner sent here? that people who are the victims of hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, things of that nature, natural disasters, that we become pawns in a political game? what kind of a message does that send? i hope he does the right thing between now and january 15th, as he allegedly has promised peter king. but i'm not going to believe it until i see it because any assurances we've gotten until now have just been wiped away. >> why do you think it's taken so long to get this money approved? because we've got some examples -- >> yeah. >> the landfall to signing relief package, 66 days, awaiting sandy. katrina landfall to signing was 10 days. gustav and ike was what, 17 days. andrew was, what, 31 days.

why do you think -- why is it happening like this right now, it's taking so long? >> i don't really know why it's happening so long and why it's taken so long. it's hard to think it isn't anything but politics or quite frankly a lack of leadership or somehow a lack of concern. but you know what speaker boehner should do between now and when he says he's going to vote? he should come to new york and new jersey. he should walk with me and others in queens. he should go to belle harbor, to breezy point. he should talk to those folks whose homes were burned to the ground. i was standing there with senator schumer, who worked so hard to try to get us this money, standing there as people walked up to that area that had been burnt. and you could tell, wolf, on their face whether their home had made it or not. they would see whether their home was bunt to the ground or still standing. i don't know why speaker boehner didn't do what he should have done. why he didn't lead. but he needs to answer to that

question, to those people in coney island. to those people in lower manhattan. to those people in the rockaways and in far rockaway. and you know what? there really isn't a good answer for being speaker of the house of representatives and being so devoid of any leadership or really responsible action. and it sends not just a bad message to those of us who've been impacted by sandy. this leaves a question mark for americans about what congress will do when they and if they are ever in need. >> i know we're out of time, but i know you sent a letter to speaker boehner today signed by what, 47 of the 50 new york city council members. tell us what you wanted, what you wanted to have in that letter, why you felt it was so important to be heard. >> because i want speaker boehner to know this isn't about politics, this is about real people who are republicans and democrats. who are independents, conservatives. who saw in some cases their entire life's work, their homes

wiped away. people who lost family members. first responders who risked their lives. and he couldn't take action to get us the money, the billions of dollars we deserve as americans to rebuild and recover. and i want him to know what his lack of action, what his failure to lead, what his failure to live up to his responsibilities, the impact that has had on us. now, look, we're new yorkers, we're tough, we'll get by. but what he did was wrong, and he needs to know that. >> you want him to rain as speaker of the house? >> you know, look, i'm a democrat. i want speaker of the house to be a democrat. you know, that's up to them to decide. i don't really care what title he does or doesn't have. i want the $60 billion that we are owed. speaker boehner, whatever title he has or doesn't have, needs to restore the country and new york's faith in the federal government by getting us this money. we deserved. and we've in fact paid to the federal government. >> christine quinn, thanks very

much for joining us. >> thank you. >> the battle over sandy aid is about much more than politics, it's about real people trying to put their lives back together. joining us now is the martin family, father ray, mother linda, and their children, 8-year-old matthew, 10-year-old terrence, 13-year-old lauren and 15-year-old ray. their home burned to the ground in superstorm sandy. first of all, ray, tell us how are you doing? what's going on with your family, with your community? it's been what, a little bit more than two months. >> yes, it has. it's just over two months now. we're doing relatively well. after the storm i was rather lucky. my mother lived 15 minutes away from me in marine park, brooklyn. so immediately we had a place to go, unlike many of my neighbors. as you had mentioned, my house did burn down. there were 25 houses in my neighborhood that did burn.

but more so than that, there were hundreds, probably thousands of families that were displaced due to flooding. there was no electricity, there was no gas, there were no services down there so to speak. immediate aftermath was extremely difficult. it was basically a neighborhood on the move. >> lauren, tell us about the rescue. you were rescued by dillon smith, who was named one of "people" magazine's heroes of the year. unfortunately, he passed away in a recent accident. have you had a chance to speak with his family? tell us what he did for you, the rescue. >> i went across my street and i couldn't stand anymore, so he came over and helped me on a surfboard until i could stand. and i wish i was able to thank him because he like saved me. so i wish i could thank him. but. >> your older brother ray, how are you doing? you're 15 years old. >> i'm doing better. i've seen the better of people

after the storm. so it's good to see, you know, everyone, you know, getting together in rockaway and breezy and everywhere to come together and just reform and, you know, get back to where we were if not better. so it's been tough, you know, at first. i've had a lot of help. you know. i had a family take me in for two months. you know, it was right on my school campus. so it really helped me. and then my friends have helped me. it just -- you know, i can't thank them enough. >> i know. let me ask your dad how he feels. all this bickering, this political bickering over the aid that is required to help your family, all the families, the communities in new york and new jersey and connecticut. what would you tell your congressional leaders if they were watching you right now? >> it's disgraceful. it's unconscionable. it's two months since the storm has hit. i'm quite frankly amazed that it's taken this long to address.

it should never have come to this point. it should never have been on the heels of the fiscal cliff. this is something that should have been addressed within days if not a week or two after the storm had hit. the metropolitan area has one of the largest concentrations of people in the united states of america. there were hundreds of thousands of people affected by this storm. down in katrina, if i'm correct, there was an aid bill that was passed 10 days within the storm hitting. here we are 60-some-odd days after the storm hit, and there is no aid bill. it seems to me to be politics as usual in washington, political bickering, and then the bill itself being loaded up with pork barrel and what have you. that's not what we need. business as usual in washington, life is not as usual where i live right now. the infrastructure is severely

damaged. the beaches are eroded tremendously. it's going to take a tremendous amount to get the beaches back to where they were. small businesses, mom and pop shops are destroyed. unable to open their doors, to feed their families. this aid bill would go a tremendously long way in helping these people. and the mere fact that it's this far past without being addressed. and tomorrow at noon, you know, is it going to be addressed? it certainly seems to me like my politicians are going hear from me and from my community if this is not addressed by noon tomorrow. >> it's going to take a while longer than noon tomorrow when the new congress is sworn in, but we wish you only, only the best. ray and linda, thanks so much for sharing your story. you are blessed with a beautiful, beautiful family. as difficult as it has been, i'm confident that the future days will be so, so much better.

thank you so much and good luck to all of you. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> when we come back, questions and controversy. there are some wild conspiracy theories out there about hillary clinton's hospital stay. ever have a really cool dream? i'm having one right now. i don't want to be disturbed. and i won't. because before i went to sleep, i set this.

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i'm not a doctor, but it seems as though that the secretary of state has come down with a case of benghazi flu. >> apparently, she's suffering from acute benghazi allergy, which causes light-headedness when she hears the word "benghazi." >> concussion because if a tree falls in the forest does it really fall if nobody hears it fall? did she really have a concussion? maybe she did. who knows? >> so when you're a clinton you're certainly no stranger to controversy.

today hillary clinton was released from a new york city hospital following treatment for a blood clot in her head. but that hasn't put an to end all those conspiracy theories out there about her illness. joining us now is kiki mclean, democratic strategist, also a senior partner at porter novelli. kiki, thanks very much for coming in. >> glad to be here, wolf. >> i want to read the statement that the state department put out about the secretary. "secretary clinton was discharged from the hospital this evening. her medical team advised her that she is making good progress on all fronts and they are confident she will make a full recovery. she's eager to get back to the office, and we will keep you updated on her schedule as it becomes clearer in the coming days. what are you hearing? i know you're close to the clintons. you used to work for them. what are you hearing about her condition? >> i'm hearing just what you heard, which is that she's recovering and it's on track to be a complete recovery, as chelsea said in her tweet this evening.

there's no doubt about it, that she got sick with the flu. you know, got lightheaded, fainted, hit her head, had a concussion. i think we all know concussions are serious business. you can completely recover from them, but you need to take your doctor's orders and rest and do exactly what they tell you, which is exactly what she's done, and i think that's why she's on her path to recovery. >> i know she always wanted to step down as secretary of state around january 20th when the president will be sworn in for his second term. is that still her intention, do you think? >> i think all plans are as they were. i think ultimately whatever date the transitions occur have everything to do with senator kerry being confirmed as the nominee for secretary of state and very little to do with her current health prognosis. >> what did you think of all those comments before we knew she had a blood clot in her head, all those comments from

some of those conservative pundits out there suggesting she was faking it, making up this illness, if you will, so she wouldn't have to testify about the killing of the u.s. ambassador in benghazi and three other americans? >> you know what my really complicated analysis of that is? they are stupid. people who go out and generate rumors and lies are stupid. and they shouldn't be doing so on national television, and they shouldn't be doing so at the real risk of someone else's health. and hillary clinton is somebody who recognizes not only the responsibility to the job she has, but her role in public life, and that's why they've made sure folks knew what's been going on. and for those guys to go out and do that. really? a former ambassador said that? a member of congress said that? a national journalist? that's just stupid, wolf. >> let me read to you a little bit about what the conservative columnist kathleen parker wrote in "the washington post" column, in her column today, and i'll put it up on the screen. "immediately after the benghazi attacks clinton took full responsibility for the events and was accused by republicans of falling on her sword to protect president obama. now that she's temporarily indisposed and unable to

elaborate on her admitted responsibility, those same critics insist she's trying to avoid taking personal responsibility." you read that column. what was your opinion? >> well, anybody who knows hillary clinton knows she would much rather have been at the senate on the appointed day at the appointed time answering questions, and she did take responsibility because she knows what her role is and she knows what she should do and she does it on a daily basis. these are the guys who have tried to make a living out of really criticizing hillary clinton. they need to get a hobby. they show poor judgment. they show lack of intellectual, proper intellectual curiosity. and it's just wrong. and i think kathleen said something important in there, which is hillary clinton is damned if she does and damned if she doesn't to a certain group of people. and that's their hobby. and she'll be fine and move forward even if they don't. >> she's very popular out there as you know our recent cnn poll we asked how is secretary clinton handling her job as

secretary of state. 66% approval. that's pretty high. 30% disapproval. this illness that we all hope she recovers completely, makes a full and speedy recovery. you going to be with her if she runs for president again in 2016? >> i'll always support what contribution it is hillary clinton believes she can make, and that will be her decision when the time comes. >> i believe she still would like to be the first woman who becomes president of the united states. you agree with me? >> i don't think she knows what she wants to do. i certainly don't. and anybody who thinks they do is fibbing to you, wolf. >> kiki, as usual, thanks very much for coming in. and i think i speak for all of our viewers out there, we wish her a very, very speedy recovery. >> thanks, wolf. >> thank you. coming up, the stories america are talking about, from john boehner to justin bieber. my all-star panel covers it. that's coming up. welcome to chevy's year-end event.

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new york deserves better than the selfishness we saw on display last night. new jersey deserves better than the duplicity we saw last night. america deserves better than just another example of a government that has forgotten who they are there to serve and why. 66 days and counting.

shame on you. shame on congress. we certainly have not heard the end of governor chris christie's criticism of the house speaker john boehner. joining us to talk about that and more cnn contributor and op-ed columnist for the "new new york times," charles blow. also republican pollster and vice president of the winston group kristen soltis. lee gallagher, the assistant managing editor at "fortune" magazine. and cnn contributor and republican consultant margaret hoover. margaret, let me start with you. those are fighting words from governor christie. should he be commended for putting his people's needs really ahead of party politics, if you will? >> sure, he should. but he's also a governor of a state that's struggling and hurting. i mean, they're down and out right now, and christie has been lauded for being that guy since the election. of course, a lot of republicans really despised him for doing what he did during the election. many still blame him for mitt

romney's loss, which i think is absurd. but this is christie's job. this is what he does. he's a tough talker and he's fighting for his state. look, i'm really sympathetic to where christie's coming from. i think we all are. it's not like john boehner hasn't had anything else to do in the last few days. and what i'm hearing from house republicans is boehner's juice is gone. he didn't even necessarily have the votes to get another spending bill through his own house. and so he basically ended up lying and deceiving house republicans that he would bring this to the floor. and then he didn't. which is why the outrage and why he's now been forced to put it into two parts, bring to it the floor on friday in part, the flood insurance part, and then the rest of it won't happen until the middle of the month. >> yeah. you used the word "lying." that's a pretty serious word. let me bring kristen in. disaster relief as far as new york, new jersey, connecticut is concerned. it's become a hot-button issue, kristen. why? >> it's become a hot-button issue because even for folks who believe the government is doing

too many things that ought to be left to individuals and the private sector, when it comes to things like taking care of people who have been hit by a disaster, taking care of people in emergency situations, that's something that i think everybody ought to be able to agree on. so that's really what's causing a lot of questions about why hasn't this come to the floor. within this bill, though, there's a lot of stuff, you know, congress seems to be unable to create a bill that doesn't have a bunch of junk thrown into it, and you have a lot of conservatives out there that there are rumblings they're frustrated because there are things in this bill that are not necessarily, a, going directly to the victims of sandy in fact, i even heard at one point that there are things going to alaskan salmon fishing, things like a new roof for a smithsonian building. so i think a lot of conservatives are hoping maybe to strip some of that out, which would -- and hopefully this can get passed so that these victims can actually get the aid that they need. >> you know, charles, a lot of people in new york and new jersey, connecticut for that matter, they think if this were another part of the country that it would be a lot more quick --

that the bill would pass a lot more quickly but there's something about these three states that some republicans in washington don't like. >> well, there may be something to that because what we've seen is when you've had natural disasters in other parts of the country, and a lot of people have pointed to katrina and new orleans, and i'm from lieu lie, the federal government was able to act -- congress was able to act in a much more quick way than they're able to act, or been willing to act in the case of sandy, which affects the northeast, which is generally a very democratic part of the country. so i don't know if that is the overall impetus for them moving in a slower, at a slower pace, but it's a fact that people have been waiting for 60-plus days and this has not gotten to the floor for a vote and that is problematic. the other part of that that you cannot stress enough is that these are the parts of the country that send much more money to washington than they get back.

and the places, you know, more southern places send less money to washington than they get back, and we have been able to move in a more quick and expedient way to get aid to people who need it. i think we have to look closely as that disparity. >> leigh, congressman peter king of new york, he is a republican. he said after the meeting he had with the speaker, john boehner, boehner promised this vote beginning on friday, then in the middle of the month gave him an olive branch. peter king, who had been very critical earlier in the day, all of a sudden he seemed to be reassured. do you think that reassurance is justified? >> i'm not entirely sure. i do think -- look, i know john boehner has been preoccupied. we all know that. but it seems to me there's a great -- miss of if nothing else a real moment to come out a little bit like a hero. it's just tone deaf.

whatever the practicalities are, that this involving hurricane sandy would get pushed aside. i mean, you know, look at the martens. i mean, the family you just had on. they lost their house. there are so many people here in new york still without power. you know, it's still an ongoing problem, and it's been maybe it's not at the forefront anymore, but it seems to me that there are just -- even the optics of it would be perceived by most people. so that's what to me seems most surprising here. >> all right. everybody stay put. don't go anywhere. we have more to discuss. when we come back, i want to get your take on one of the big stories of the day. get this. al jazeera buying current tv. [ male announcer ] truth is theraflu doesn't treat your cough. what? [ male announcer ] it doesn't have a cough suppressant. great. [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus severe cold and flu fights your worst flu symptoms, plus that cough with a fast acting cough suppressant. [ sighs ] thanks!... [ male announcer ] you're welcome. that's the cold truth! [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus. ♪ oh what a relief it is! ♪ [ male announcer ] to learn more about the cold truth and save $1 visit alka-seltzer on facebook.

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we're back now with our all-star panel. guys, there was news today in the news business, all of a sudden we learn that al jazeera is purchasing current tv, a statement from al gore, the former vice president, one of the owners of current tv, and joel hyatt, saying this, "we are proud and pleased that al jazeera, the award-winning international news organization, has bought current tv. since its founding in 2005, current has grown into a national network available in nearly 60 million homes offering thought-provoking commentary and emmy and peabody award-winning programming. current media was built based on a few key goals, to give voice to those who are not typically heard, to speak truth to power, to provide independent and diverse points of view, and to tell the stories that no one

else is telling. al jazeera has the same goals and like current believes that facts and truth lead to a better understanding of the world around us." i don't know about you, charles, but i was pretty surprised when i heard about this earlier in the day. what did you think? >> i wasn't aware of the rumblings that this was going to happen, but you know, you have to look at al jazeera. al jazeera wants to be a major player in international news, and to do that you have to have a bigger footprint in america. they've been struggling to get distribution in america. not on a lot of cable networks. and this is a way for them to deal with that issue, is by buying current. the problem is with al jazeera -- and al jazeera is a fine news organization. the few times i've seen it it's been really solid reporting. but there's a lot in a name and americans have a long memory, and people are still kind of upset and remembering the fact that al jazeera showed those al

qaeda tapes or, you know, video or audio right after 9/11, and i think that, you know, it still is to be seen whether america will warm to them and look past that happening post-9/11. >> what do you think about all this, margaret? >> look, what this is is the implosion of a far left-wing network financially. i mean, they -- current tv was losing, according to some reports, 12 cents per subscriber per month. they financially were unsustainable as a model. i mean, there was a massive blowout, as we all know, with keith olbermann, one of their star anchors. they ended up having to buy him out. financially it simply hasn't been a plausible business model. so this is probably the best thing to happen to current tv, to have the qatari government come along and offer them what is reportedly, you know, $300 million potentially -- there's numbers all over the place of course, it's an undisclosed amount. this is a good deal for current tv. no wonder they took it.

>> it underscores, leigh, i guess the influence that wealth the government in qatar, i've been to doha, i've been to al jazeera headquarters. they have a huge reach in arabic obviously throughout the arab world. they are trying to expand al jazeera english. but now this move on current tv, that's pretty significant. underscores i think what qatar really wants, more and more influence around the world. >> absolutely. and you know, we're not seeing that many deals being done lately because, you know, things here are still just kind of slowly recovering. so this is significant. and it's interesting. but i will say, you know, al jazeera may have an awakening ahead it because all the money in the world can't necessarily navigate the intricacies of the cable business, which is very complicated. they're going to learn very quickly about the wonderful world of carriage, which is a very complicated way that cable networks have to get into american households. you know, it's on a per-subscriber basis. these fees are negotiated.

they can't always get -- they have to align themselves with the biggest carriers to get in the most homes. as margaret was pointing out. this isn't necessarily going to be totally an easy done deal for them to be suddenly everywhere. >> the former owners now of current tv may have got some money, kristen, but i've got to tell you, i'm familiar with the amount of money that exists in qatar right now. the emir has a lot of money. and if they want to spend a lot of money on current tv they could have some influence. >> oh, absolutely. i mean, what you've also seen in qatar, they are getting the world cup a couple of years from now and there's going to be -- they're investing a ton of money in building stadiums. they're going to be climate controlled. i mean, i really think what this is all about is it's trying to change the brand of an al jazeera. and with it maybe the brand of sort of middle eastern nations in the u.s. there was an interesting opportunity i think for al jazeera during the arab spring,

when you would start to hear stories about clashes between al jazeera journalists and sort of the rulers in power that were being -- that were being protested or being deposed in some of these countries. i thought the arab spring was an interesting moment where al jazeera could have established itself with a lot of credibility more mainstream in the u.s. i don't think it accomplished that there. i'm assuming that's what this current tv purchase is attempting to do. >> on a totally, totally different story, but a lot of people are talking about it. kim kardashian and kanye, they are going to have a baby. charles, what do you make of all of this? are we going to be hearing all these details now for weeks and weeks and months and months? >> you would come to me first, wolf. you're throwing me for a loop here. congratulations, kim and kanye. all the best to you. this is not something that i think ranks really highly on my news radar. but you know, i congratulate anybody if you're having a kid and you're happy about it.

>> you're not excited about america's royal pregnancy? >> i'll tell you what. sometime in june an awful lot of tabloid newspapers are going to get sold because you'll have the actual royal baby over in the uk being born hopefully, and a healthy pregnancy and a healthy child born this summer, and then in the u.s. we have the kimye baby. i don't know what that says about us here in america. >> well, they'll probably, kristen, as you know -- and wolf, i'm so glad you asked us about this. because it just doesn't feel right if wolf blitzer is not asking us about kanye and kim kardashian. but kristen has such a great point. you know, in the united states, you know, the kardashians have made their wealth by completely displaying their private lives in a public way and then capitalizing on it. and it is such a contrast to what's going to happen on the other side of the pond. it's also a contrast to a lot of other high-profile americans in the same field. beyonce knowles and jay-z, you

know, had a baby. they are a very high-profile couple. a very high net worth couple. and were very, very quiet and very private about theirs. there's a lot of contrast and a lot of questions about the kardashian way and apparently there's a reality tv already in the mix for the unborn child. >> may surprise all of you to hear i actually met kim kardashian at the white house correspondents association dinner. she couldn't have been nicer. she was lovely. i met her mom as well. so i wish her, kanye only, only the best. leigh, do you have any final thoughts on this? >> well, you know, this is going to be a major, major twitter moment because kim kardashian is -- i don't know the numbers. but she's one of the top people on twitter. and so twitter has had a hard time monday tooietizing its bus model. maybe there's a way in the next seven, eight months, however far along she is, to figure this out so it can be some sort of bonanza. because it will blow up as they say. >> she only has 17 million followers. so when she tweets, those 140

characters or less that goes out immediately to 17 million, and i've got to tell you, many of those people will retweet her right away. >> hey, wolf, do you follow kim kardashian? >> you know, i've got to go check. maybe i do. actually, i probably do. hey guys, thanks very much. when we come back, we're going to switch gears. david petraeus, some unfinished business. how he changed america's military. suddenly, she does something unexpected and you see the woman you fell in love with. she's everything to you. but your erectile dysfunction - that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure.

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from my perspective at least, he has provided this country an extraordinary service. we are safer because of the work that david petraeus has done. >> before the scandal, before the headlines general david petraeus was on a mission to remake america's military, but all that fell apart when he broke his own rule about publicity, never become your own front-page headline. joining us now, a man who knows a lot about general petraeus, fred kaplan. he's slate's national security columnist and author of the important book "the insurgents." fred, thanks very much for joining us. >> oh, thank you for having me. >> you added a postscript to your book about the paula broadwell affair. were you surprised, as i was, all of us were, when we first heard about this affair? how stunned were you? >> i was pretty surprised. but as you know, wolf, i never

met an unassuming four-star general. and general petraeus was a lot more assuming than many. this was a guy who when he was commander in iraq he just did things on his own. when he was occupying mosul and there was no command anywhere in iraq otherwise, he opened up the border to syria. he set up economic enterprises. he held elections. all of this on his own. when he commanded all of iraq, he basically set up this thing called the sons of iraq which paid ex-militants to come over and fight on the american side against the jihadists using the commander's discretionary fund. again, on his own authority. he didn't tell his superiors back in washington about this. and these kinds of enterprises, he did this, he had to do it because that was the only way he could succeed on the battlefield. but you know, once you do this sort of thing enough you get used to it. >> i spent a little time with him in baghdad in 2005.

and i saw him. i saw how he operated and obviously he was very self-confident, very unique and he did things exactly the way you point out, the way he thought was best for the country. did you in your research, you did a ton of research did you meet paula broadwell? i know you interviewed over 100 people in connection with the book. >> no i never interviewed her. i know who she is. i know people who know her. this affair was widely rumored but nobody really believed it was happening until it was discovered. >> yeah. so do you believe he did the right thing by resigning? >> well, you know, here's the thing that people don't realize. you know, adultery, it's a crime in the uniform code of military justice. >> even if you're retired? >> well, there's an old saying, generals retire only when they go to bed at night. i think he still felt bound by that code. i am told reliably that president obama sat on his resignation letter for a full day.

he didn't want to accept it. but petraeus insisted on resigning. that that was really the only way that he could -- could deal with the scandal. >> you think the president should have accepted that resignation? >> well, i think he probably -- you know, the cia is kind of a weird place when it comes to moral standards, too. and i think -- i don't think he would have got along. but you know, the thing to keep in mind about petraeus is that aside from all this, that same personality that might have led to the scandal also led to a genuine revolution within the united states army. and the story of david petraeus is the story of that revolution. and this is a matter of life and death, of war and peace. it affected the way the army fought in iraq and afghanistan for better and for worse. it meant the difference between life and death for thousands of people. again, one way or the other. >> in your book "the insurgents" you outline some of those dramatic changes. give us one or two examples of

how he changed the united states military. >> well, you know, wolf, you recall at the beginning of the iraq war nobody knew -- when the occupation began, anyway, nobody knew it was an surnlgs. there was a rule in the pentagon. donald rumsfeld, the secretary of defense, really prohibited anyone from even using the word "insurgency." because an insurgency would mean that you'd have to come up with a counterinsurgency strategy, and that would mean you'd have to stay there for a long time and get involved in nation building, which was a curse word to him. so -- and it wasn't just rumsfeld. the army, they had a code. what was a war? they defined war as a major conflict involving tanks on tanks. in the latest military manuals before petraeus became commander this kind of war, a counterinsurgency war, it was called a military operation other than war. it wasn't even called a war.

it was mootwa. and general saakashvili, the joint chairman of the chief of staffs, said that a real man does not do mootwa. so trying to win over the hearts and minds of the people, in other words, to recognize that the insurgency actually had a cause and there was injustices against the reigning government and therefore to defeat the insurgency you had to deal with these causes, you had to build up the economy, you had to help make the government more legitimate, this was something that the conventional army had absolutely no interest in doing whatsoever until he came along and changed that. >> five years from now when we look back an the whole operation in iraq going back to march 2003 when the u.s. went in and got rid of saddam hussein and then eventually ten years or so later got out, will this have been worthwhile for the united states? >> well, that's a very good question. you know, one thing that

petraeus said many times was that the whole point of the surge and the shift to the counterinsurgency strategy, both of which he maneuvered into being through some pretty amazing bureaucratic politics, this was to give the iraqi government some breathing space. this was to give them an opportunity to work out their own politics. if it turns out that the iraqi government has no interest in reconciling with sunnis, for example, and they have no interest in working out a division of oil revenue or working out property divisions in kirkuk, then yeah, it might have all been for naught because it worked tactically but the strategic purpose of the war might very well go down the drain. >> and if iraq becomes a strategic ally of iran, obviously that is a game changer as well. hey, fred, thanks very much for joining us. >> thank you. >> fred kaplan is the author of the book "the insurgents." up next, a soldier comes home. i'll talk to the family behind this heart-warming reunion at the rose parade.

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[ cheers and applause ] a heartwarming way to start the new year. sergeant first class eric paz returned from afghanistan to surprise his wife and 4-year-old son when he stepped off a float during the rose bowl parade. there were tears, smiles and one happy boy. sergeant paz, his wife miriam,

and his son eric are joining us now. first of all, sergeant, thanks so much for your service. thanks for joining us. you certainly surprised your wife and son three months before your redeployment date. how did you keep it a secret? >> it was very difficult to keep that a secret from them. basically, anytime they -- my wife brought it up, brought up the fact that, you know, i entered them in a contest, and anytime anything was brought up about this, i just immediately changed the subject. >> miriam, how did you feel when you realized that that was your his? >> i was just so excited and overwhelmed to see him. it's -- it was great. >> was this the best christmas present you could have received, eric? eric jr.? >> he's talking to you, buddy. >> eric, what do you think? >> yeah. >> how happy were you to see your dad? so happy he doesn't want to